Did you know that we have only 54 days until the 2015 March for Marriage?

That's less than two months to prepare for the single most important task we can undertake in defense of marriage this year...

The Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments — likely in the days right before or following the March — in a case that could shape the legal definition of marriage for years to come. It could be a case that goes down in history as the Roe v Wade of marriage... or as the greatest legal victory marriage has ever won.

Won't you please stand with us in support of this critical undertaking with a generous gift right away?

One thing the US Supreme Court won't be able to do is redefine marriage, because marriage was created by God himself as the union of one man and one woman, and no judge or politician has the power to change it.

But let's not downplay the importance of this case — an adverse Supreme Court ruling that takes relationships that are simply about adult sexual desires and attaches the label 'marriage' to them would deal a devastating blow to our cause and likely take us years to recover from. So this is our last, best chance to wake up the Supreme Court and let them know that the American people demand that they respect our votes and our voice and not meddle in the democratic decisions of state voters and legislators to define marriage in the law as it exists in reality — one man and one woman.

We are at a critical moment. Think of the situation with the pro-life movement and how much it would mean to go back in time and organize a huge march while the Court was considering imposing abortion on the nation.

Well, that's exactly where we are with marriage and we cannot let this moment pass without doing all in our power to rally the American people to action.

Won't you please support the God-ordained institution of marriage in this critical hour when it is so needed?

Our matching gift campaign is underway and we're almost half way to our overall goal of raising $100,000 online. So if you give today, your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar by another generous supporter.

Bills are coming due right now. We are organizing speakers and their travel arrangements; securing permits and signing contracts for the onsite logistics; preparing the media and advertising campaigns to let people know about this incredibly important event; and securing buses to bring people from further away to our nation's capital.

We MUST make a powerful statement as we rally in front of the Capitol and march to the Supreme Court on April 25th... because this case will have dramatic consequences for the future of marriage in America.

I am doing everything in my power — including investing every available resource at my disposal — into making the 2015 March for Marriage an unequivocal success... sending the Supreme Court and other leaders in Washington DC a clear and powerful message: marriage is the union of one man and one woman and you must respect the decision of legislators and voters who through the democratic process have preserved marriage. Any ruling to impose gay 'marriage' on the nation will be illegitimate.

And let me tell you, I am optimistic we can win!

Did you know that on April 22 of last year, Justice Kennedy wrote the following in a majority opinion handed down by the Supreme Court:

There is no authority in the Constitution of the United States or in this Court's precedents for the Judiciary to set aside Michigan laws that commit this policy determination to the voters.... Deliberative debate on sensitive issues such as racial preferences all too often may shade into rancor. But that does not justify removing certain court-determined issues from the voters' reach. Democracy does not presume that some subjects are either too divisive or too profound for public debate. [emphasis added]

That decision pertained to Michigan's constitutional amendment on affirmative action, but the clear and undeniable logic of the decision indicates that Justice Kennedy should — by his own legal precedent and logic — rule in defense of marriage.

The constitution is silent on marriage. Therefore, it is in the purview of the states to regulate the institution of marriage — and our democratic system demands that the Supreme Court respect the right of state legislators and voters to preserve one man/one woman marriage in the law.

Marriage Supporter, we have a chance to make the case for marriage and win a victory that will be felt for decades to come. Won't you help us by financially supporting this critical endeavor?

PS: With only 54 days left until the March for Marriage and little more before the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case that could shape the legal definition of marriage for years to come, we don't have a lot of time! Won't you please stand with us today and help us send a powerful message to the Supreme Court and to the political elites in Washington that the American people stand for marriage? Thank you in advance for your generous support!

In Arkansas, two courageous state legislators, Rep. Ballinger and Sen. Hester, have introduced HB1228, the Conscience Protection Act, in the Arkansas state assembly.

HB1228 is almost identical to religious freedom legislation passed in 20 states. Alabamans even went so far as to write the language into their state constitution in 1998.

Additionally, most states that do not have a religious freedom protection law on the books have a court ruling of some sort protecting religious freedom. Arkansas is one of only 11 states without a state law or court ruling affirming the free exercise of religion.

The legislators of the state of Arkansas need to hear from you right away... ask them to support HB 1228 and protect the individual conscience rights and religious liberties of the people of Arkansas.

The consequences of this legislation passing or not will be felt nationwide... as same-sex 'marriage' activists become increasingly emboldened by activist judges, they won't stop pushing their agenda until everyone who conscientiously objects to their vision of a radically altered America is silenced.

Please, call the Arkansas Senate at (501) 682-2902 and let one of the state Senators know that the Conscience Protection Act enjoys support from all across America.

The past few days have been a whirlwind — but as always, full of blessings.

One specific blessing was the receipt of a $25,000 anonymous gift in support of the 2015 March for Marriage! Because of the matching gift campaign currently underway, a generous donor is matching every gift given to NOM — which means a total of $50,000 was just brought to the fight to defend marriage!

That gift brings us so much closer to our goal, but we still have a ways to go.

I know so many have generously donated over the course of the last couple of weeks... but so many more have yet to join the campaign.

Please understand how this matching gift challenge works: the money pledged to NOM will only get to us if you and thousands like you make a donation in support of the March. If people don't donate, NOM will get nothing...

With that in mind, won't you please make a generous and fully tax-deductible donation today in support of the 2015 March for Marriage?

The March for Marriage is a unique, important and timely undertaking designed to make a powerful statement about the truth and beauty of marriage and the support it enjoys among the American people at precisely the moment when the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could determine the legal future of laws defending marriage for years to come.

Marriage Supporter, this is our shot... and I for one am taking it!

Won't you please join me in standing up to the pernicious assault against marriage and the inevitable attacks against religious liberty inherent in redefining marriage?

Justice Scalia famously said that the courts would only be constrained in its attempt to redefine marriage by a sense of what they could get away with.

Please join me in letting them know that they cannot get away with redefining our most sacred institution!

PS: We're almost half way toward our $100,000 goal... that means there is over $50,000 left on the table that will only come to us if you and thousands of others like you join our campaign and make a donation today. It's the perfect time to donate, as — in addition to the matching gift challenge — your gift will be put to immediate use, helping organize and coordinate the most timely, important and impactful undertaking in the fight to defend marriage today: the 2015 March for Marriage. Won't you please consider making a generous donation today in support of this critical endeavor?

"Contrary to the repeated assertions of the left, including incredibly inappropriate comments from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the American people continue to believe that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman." — Brian Brown, NOM president —

Washington, D.C. — A new national survey of American voters shows that they continue to believe that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman and are strongly opposed to the US Supreme Court redefining marriage to accommodate the demands of gay and lesbian couples. The US Supreme Court is currently considering a case where it is being asked to find a constitutional right to gay 'marriage' in every state of the union regardless of the opinion of voters in those states.

"Contrary to the repeated assertions of the left, including incredibly inappropriate comments from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the American people continue to believe that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman," said Brian S. Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). "Moreover, an overwhelming majority of voters — more than 60% — believe it would be wrong for the US Supreme Court to impose gay 'marriage' on the entire nation. We hope that the justices of the Supreme Court see this survey and come to realize that any attempt to redefine marriage will be rejected by the American people and will be considered to be illegitimate."

The firm of WPA Opinion Research released a nationwide survey of American voters yesterday containing important findings regarding the issue of marriage. Conducted for the Family Research Council during early February 2015, the survey found that 53% of voters believe that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman. It also found that 61% of voters are opposed to the idea of Supreme Court justices imposing a nationwide standard of gay marriage, and prefer for voters and states to define marriage themselves. In addition, the survey found that — by overwhelming margins (81%) — the American people believe that individuals and small businesses should be free to follow their beliefs about marriage as they live their daily lives at work and in the way they run their businesses. Increasingly, the left including Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson are filing lawsuits against individuals and small businesses to force them to support gay 'wedding' ceremonies even though they violate the deeply held religious beliefs of millions of Americans. Ferguson has sued Christian florist Barronelle Stuzman seeking to force her to participate in a gay 'wedding' against her beliefs, and has threatened to take her home, business, and all her personal assets as punishment for refusing to do so.

"What this survey shows is that Ruth Bader Ginsburg has not only engaged in unconscionably biased commentary about a case pending before her, but that she is dead wrong about the views of the American people," said Brown. "Contrary to Ginsburg's assertion that it won't take much for the American people to adjust to a ruling imposing gay 'marriage' on every state, this survey, consistent with other polling, shows that the American people will not accept such a ruling and, in fact, strongly oppose it. It also shows that overzealous gay activists like Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson are dead wrong and are strongly opposed by virtually all American voters. It is simply wrong of Ferguson to be seeking to force a good Christian woman like Barronelle Stutzman to participate in a gay 'wedding' ceremony that violates her deeply held religious beliefs."

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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, [email protected], or Matille Thebolt, [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).

Americans may disagree on a whole host of issues, including and especially when it comes to the marriage debate, but commitment to the democratic process is critical. What's happening in Nebraska is detrimental to Americans, and to our nation, long-term.

[Federal judge Joseph Bataillon] is being asked by seven same-sex couples to issue a preliminary injunction, declaring that they all have a right to be married in the State of Nebraska. They have asked further that the court should order the State of Nebraska and its various agencies, including county clerks, to immediately issue marriage licenses to these couples and to alter the law in Nebraska to allow all same sex couples to be married immediately, even before Nebraska gets its day in court and this matter is tried in the traditional way.

Getting your day in court is important. There are many procedures, such as requiring witnesses to testify under oath, using the power of a subpoena to require people to give you honest evidence and make statements under oath before a trial, and making sure the matter before the court fully heard with live persons and not just lawyer-crafted written statements, affidavits and declarations.

So, now Judge Bataillon is considering the matter and has told everyone he will issue his ruling soon. No trial, no get your “day in court” with all the protections of a fair and equal process leading up to trial. Just consider and decide the issue before a trial.

How can that even happen? How can a judge rule before a full and fair trial?

Right now we have a challenge grant before us, whereby a generous supporter has pledged to match every donation we receive, up to $100,000. That means, if you donate today, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar. But if you don't give, NOM will receive nothing.

This matching gift donor realizes that now is the time to take a stand. In particular, he realizes the tremendous importance of the March for Marriage, which will take place in just TWO short months!

That gives us only eight weeks to organize and execute the thousands of logistical details that make up such an enormous endeavor.

The March for Marriage is our chance to make a powerful statement to the Supreme Court as they are hearing oral arguments in a case that could determine the legal future of laws defending marriage for years to come.

If the Court somehow invents a constitutional "right" to same-sex 'marriage,' stories like Ms. Stutzman's will become commonplace as the full weight and force of government descends on ordinary citizens who simply wanting to retain the rights guaranteed us by our first amendment — to live and act in accordance with our faith without fear of government coercion or punishment.

Let me leave you with one further quote from Ms. Stutzman's letter:

"Since 2012, same-sex couples all over the state have been free to act on their beliefs about marriage, but because I follow the Bible's teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs."

Please stand up to this assault on our religious liberties and defend marriage by making a generous, tax-deductible donation to NOM today so we can make the 2015 March for Marriage a powerful message to the cultural elites in government who are determined to force same-sex 'marriage' on our country regardless of the consequences.

PS The Washington state Attorney General has determined that anything short of complicit participation in same-sex 'weddings' is discrimination. A local florist in Richland, Washington, is his current target. But you and I could just as easily be. Won't you please make a donation right away toward NOM's matching gift campaign — knowing that your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous donor — to help us organize and execute the 2015 March for Marriage?

The March is an essential undertaking designed to let the Supreme Court and other governmental elites know that the American people believe in marriage and will stand up and fight for our religious liberties being cast aside by those who seek to impose their radical same-sex 'marriage' agenda on our country.

In April 2013, we reported to you that Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson was bringing a lawsuit against Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland, Washington. Her "crime" was declining to arrange flowers for a same-sex 'wedding' ceremony because participation in such an event would be out of keeping with her beliefs as a Christian that marriage is only the union of a man and a woman.

On Wednesday of this week, a state judge handed down the ruling in the case against Stutzman, saying that Stutzman's choice to refer the clients to another florist was a violation against Washington state law. Of note, the judge admitted that the legalization of same-sex 'marriage' in 2012 is what created the legal environment in which this good and decent woman could be sued. Incredibly, he flatly rejected her position that the constitution protects her right to religious freedom, claiming that citizens have the right only to believe what they wish, not to act on that belief!

A state judge ruled Wednesday that Washington floral artist and grandmother Barronelle Stutzman must provide full support for wedding ceremonies that are contrary to her faith...

The court also ruled recently that both the state and the same-sex couple, who each filed lawsuits against her, may collect damages and attorneys' fees not only from her business, but from Stutzman personally. That means the 70-year-old grandmother may not only lose her business, but also her home and savings because she lives her life and operates her business according to her beliefs.

"The message of these rulings is unmistakable: the government will bring about your personal and professional ruin if you don't help celebrate same-sex marriage," said ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner, who argued before the court in December. "The two men had no problem getting the flowers they wanted. They received several offers for free flowers, and the marketplace gives them plenty of options. Laws that are supposed to prohibit discrimination might sound good, but the government has begun to use these laws to hurt people — to force them to conform and to silence and punish them if they don't violate their religious beliefs on marriage."

What we have playing out in the state of Washington and in many other places in the country is the twisted spectacle that a stated and foundational constitutional right — our first freedom, religious liberty — is somehow trumped by a trumped up "right" to same-sex 'marriage,' something that doesn't exist yet we are all required to celebrate it. All of this in the name of "tolerance" and fairness?!

The ruling comes only a fortnight after an Associated Press-GfK poll that showed a solid majority of Americans think that wedding-related businesses should be free to decline participation in same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies if the owners have religious objections.

But same-sex 'marriage' radicals continue to claim that the majority of Americans is on their side and that they are on the "right side of history," despite their continued unwillingness to let the American people decide these matters for themselves and their concerted effort instead to force this agenda through the courts and have unelected judges dictate a new legal definition of marriage and family to the entire country.

They hope that the nation's highest court will do just that this April, when the court takes up the question of whether the federal Constitution demands the redefinition of marriage. And their hopes have probably been fueled by recent (flagrantly irresponsible) remarks by one of the Justices on the Supreme Court, liberal doyen Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In recent years, people have said, 'This is the way I am.' And others looked around, and we discovered it's our next-door neighbor — we're very fond of them. Or it's our child's best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that 'this is who I am,' the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.

Ginsburg's position is not very surprising, of course—she has herself officiated same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies in the past—but her "astounding indiscretion" (to use one legal scholar's phrase) in voicing this opinion on a pending case is a very disturbing development.

Notably, Ginsburg didn't talk about how many of us have next-door neighbors—of whom we're very fond—that try to make a living baking cakes or selling flowers or taking pictures and try to engage these services in a way that is in keeping with their faith and the dictates of their conscience. She didn't talk about how these business owners are increasingly being harassed and persecuted because they don't feel comfortable celebrating 'marriages' between members of the same-sex, which are considered illegitimate according to their religious beliefs.

Ginsburg indicated that she thinks the country is ready for same-sex 'marriage,' but she neglected to take note of the recent poll that showed Americans still believe in the First Amendment; that they aren't "ready" to have the fundamental rights of freedom of religion and freedom of expression stripped away for anyone who doesn't want to go along with this court-imposed radical redefinition of the family.

We cannot afford to "stand by and do nothing" in the face of this radical agenda being forced through the courts that will threaten the livelihood of good people like Barronelle Stutzman who simply want to conduct their business affairs in accord with their faith and the demands of their conscience.

To "stand by and do nothing" is what, alas, too many of the American people, and too many of our leaders in Washington, seem willing to do. But one heroic leader who refuses to do so is Congressman Tim Huelskamp of Kansas.

The Supreme Court will soon consider four... cases involving the mandate of same-sex 'marriage.' Those decisions, expected to be handed down from on high in June, have the potential to invalidate and criminalize future debate on this issue, just like Roe v. Wade tried to do with abortion. That is why I reintroduced the Marriage Protection Amendment this Congress. This Constitutional amendment reaffirms the plain and simple truth: marriage is a union between one man and one woman and no federal judge can say otherwise.

Allowing unelected federal judges — whose judicial impartiality on this matter is highly suspect—to impose a radical, offensive and flatly incorrect redefinition of marriage on the whole of American society is nothing less than an affront to our Republic and the principles upon which it was conceived. I refuse to stand by and do nothing while our country and the ideals that inspired its founding are eroded under our feet.

Congressman Huelskamp's federal Marriage Protection Amendment is a great initiative which demands our support. He goes on, in concluding his piece, to urge us to get involved; and his call to action must inspire us:

I refuse to stand by and do nothing while our country and the ideals that inspired its founding are eroded under our feet.

You shouldn't either. Call your Member of Congress, write them letters, send them emails, post on Facebook, tweet your thoughts, shout it from the rooftops; do whatever it takes to make it known that you stand for traditional marriage, for religious freedom, for our families, and for our children. Tell them you won't give all that up without a fight.

Amen! But I want to add one more suggestion of a way you can "shout from the rooftops" your support for traditional marriage and religious freedom: the March for Marriage.

This April 25th, right around the time that the Supreme Court sits to hear oral arguments in the cases that Congressman Huelskamp mentions above, we are going to gather en masse in Washington, DC and remind the Justices on the bench that the American people demand to be heard as well.

We will remind them that traditional marriage still enjoys wide and deep support around the country. We will remind them that tens of millions of voters in dozens of states have gone to the polls and acted through the democratic process to defend marriage, and they are not willing to have this power stripped away from them by unelected judges enforcing a warped reading of the constitution.

We will remind them that injustices like the one being perpetrated against Barronelle Stutzman are completely unacceptable, and that we will not "stand by and do nothing" in the face of this tyrannical intolerance. In the Congressman's words, we "won't give up without a fight."

Marriage Supporter, I hope you will commit to joining us on April 25th in Washington to speak truth to power at this critical time. I hope you will stand up for the Barronelle Stutzmans of our nation, whose fundamental freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment are under unprecedented attack.

Mark your calendar now. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter and watch your email for more information on the March which will be coming soon.

Thousands of your fellow citizens will be taking this unique opportunity to "shout from the rooftops" in defense of marriage and family and the freedoms we hold dear. I know I can count on you to add your voice.

The recent comments and actions of Justice Ginsburg serve to illustrate just how important the forthcoming third annual March for Marriage is to the preservation of marriage in the law.

A justice who performs same-sex 'weddings' and comments openly about how America is supposedly ready to accept same-sex 'marriage' when a case on the very subject is pending before the court is anything but impartial.

Yesterday I asked you to sign our petition to have Justice Ginsburg recuse herself from hearing this case. Thousands of people have done so, and it's clear that she is getting the message because yesterday she declined to comment further on the issue, apparently chastened by what many call her "astounding impropriety."

Thank you if you have already signed that petition. But today it's important that we turn our attention to the swing votes on the court and focus on what we can do to reach them so they realize that the American people will not sit still and watch marriage be redefined in the law.

We must show Ginsburg to be wrong about voters "accepting" such a ruling and the best way to do that is to ensure the success of the March for Marriage.

That is why I am asking you to please consider making a generous and fully tax-deductible donation in support of the 2015 March for Marriage.

Remember, right now we have a matching gift challenge – which means every dollar you donate today will be matched, dollar-for-dollar by a generous supporter who realizes how critical this upcoming March for Marriage is!

Already, groups like the severely misnamed Human Rights Campaign pushing the same-sex 'marriage' agenda are celebrating Justice Ginsburg's remarks and even using them in their lobbying efforts!

Let me remind you of the words of Justice Scalia in his dissenting opinion in the Windsor case two years ago when he said:

It takes real cheek for today's majority to assure us, as it is going out the door, that a constitutional requirement to give formal recognition to same-sex marriage is not at issue here—when what has preceded that assurance is a lecture on how superior the majority's moral judgment in favor of same-sex marriage is to the Congress's hateful moral judgment against it. I promise you this: The only thing that will "confine" the Court's holding is its sense of what it can get away with. [emphasis added]

Marriage Supporter, let's not allow the Supreme Court, our elected officials, the media or the other elites in control of society's levers of power to feel that they can get away with redefining society's most sacred and important institution!

Please stand with us as we march for marriage! We are at the moment in history where this precious institution that God created at the beginning of time is at risk of being held to be "discriminatory." If such a ruling happens, it will take years before people wake up and realize the damage to families and society as a result.

This is our best opportunity to fight for marriage, before the court rules.

Please assist us with a generous financial gift that will allow us to rent buses, provide security, arrange logistics like staging, sound equipment, communications and signage; and (most importantly) get the word out so that thousands of marriage supporters can mobilize and take a stand in defense of marriage in front of the Supreme Court of the United States as they consider this critically important case before them!

Remember, every dollar you donate will be matched, doubling the impact of your gift in the fight to defend marriage!

Faithfully,

Brian S. BrownPresidentNational Organization for Marriage

PS: We have less than three months to organize, promote and execute the 2015 March for Marriage. The Supreme Court taking up a case focused on the constitutionality of laws defending marriage will be an historic moment for our great nation — for better or for worse. I don't buy the pessimistic notion that there is nothing we can do. That's why I will be marching for marriage before the Supreme Court this April 25th!

Won't you please help us out right away with a generous, fully tax-deductible gift in support of our efforts to launch this critically important initiative? Remember, anything you donate will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of your gift in defense of marriage!

At Townhall.com today, Representative Tim Huelskamp has a powerful column explaining why he has reintroduced a federal Marriage Protection Amendment in Congress. The whole thing is worth reading. Here's an excerpt:

The Supreme Court will soon consider four of these cases involving the mandate of same-sex ‘marriage.’ Those decisions, expected to be handed down from on high in June, have the potential to invalidate and criminalize future debate on this issue, just like Roe v. Wade tried to do with abortion. That is why I reintroduced the Marriage Protection Amendment this Congress. This Constitutional amendment reaffirms the plain and simple truth: marriage is a union between one man and one woman and no federal judge can say otherwise.

Allowing unelected federal judges —whose judicial impartiality on this matter is highly suspect—to impose a radical, offensive and flatly incorrect redefinition of marriage on the whole of American society is nothing less than an affront to our Republic and the principles upon which it was conceived. I refuse to stand by and do nothing while our country and the ideals that inspired its founding are eroded under our feet.

"Astounding indiscretion." That's how Ed Whelan, writing for NRO's Bench Memos, described United States Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg's recent remarks in an interview with Bloomberg.

In the interview, Ginsburg opined that it "would not take a large adjustment" for the American people to get used to the idea of same-sex marriage.

Of course, as you know, the Supreme Court will be considering the matter of marriage this April—so for Ginsburg to be forecasting her opinion publicly at this time is, indeed, an "astounding indiscretion."

It is the law that a judge should disqualify him- or herself from hearing a case whenever his or her impartiality and lack of bias "might reasonably be questioned."

Given Ginsburg's recent public remarks, I think that it is very reasonable to question whether she'll be impartial—don't you? At any rate, groups like HRC and others pushing the same-sex 'marriage' agenda are celebrating these remarks as an early sign of victory for them!

In her interview remarks, Justice Ginsburg sounded far from impartial:

In recent years, people have said, 'This is the way I am.' And others looked around, and we discovered it's our next-door neighbor — we're very fond of them. Or it's our child's best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that 'this is who I am,' the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.

Combined with her statement that Americans are ready to accept same-sex 'marriage', and taken in light of the fact that Ginsburg has herself officiated same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies, these remarks are very troubling indeed.

We need to raise our voices strongly and in unison right now about this outrageously inappropriate development. Please forward this action alert on to your family and friends today, after you have signed the petition yourself.

Rest assured, we will be pursuing this matter vigorously. We're calling on Congress to hold an investigation of Justice Ginsburg's conduct and to consider legislation to discipline justices who speak out publicly about pending cases.

"The impartiality of judges is the very foundation of our legal system. When you have a situation where a judge has already decided how to rule on a pending case before it is even presented or argued, the integrity of the judicial system is called into question." — Brian Brown, NOM president —

Washington, D.C. — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today issued a demand that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recuse herself from hearing the pending same-sex marriage cases because of comments she gave in a media interview that foreshadows her ruling in the upcoming cases even before they are briefed or argued. If she fails to recuse herself, NOM will ask Congress to conduct an investigation of her conduct and to consider legislation to discipline justices who speak out publicly about pending cases.

"Justice Ginsburg has brought disrepute on the Supreme Court and eliminated any pretext that she will approach the marriage issue with an open mind when it comes before her. Because of this prejudice, federal law requires her to remove herself from hearing the cases," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "If she does not step aside, we will ask Congress to investigate the matter and pursue legislative remedies."

Ginsburg gave a media interview this week to Bloomberg where she said "it would not take a large adjustment" for the American people to accept a ruling redefining marriage and that, "In recent years, people have said, 'This is the way I am.' And others looked around, and we discovered it's our next-door neighbor — we're very fond of them. Or it's our child's best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that 'this is who I am,' the rest of us recognized that they are one of us." Ginsburg previously has presided at same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies.

"Justice Ginsburg has made it crystal clear that she is going to rule in favor of redefining marriage when these cases come before her," Brown said. "We demand that she comply with federal law and disqualify herself as she is required to do. If she refuses, we will ask Congress to act."

Ginsburg's highly inappropriate media commentary is being used by advocates for same-sex marriage who also see it as a foreshadowing of her ruling. The Human Rights Campaign called her comments "taking a bold stand for progress and equality, stating that the country is ready for marriage equality." They are using her comments to recruit signers to a brief they plan to submit to the Court.

"The impartiality of judges is the very foundation of our legal system" said Brown. "When you have a situation where a judge has already decided how to rule on a pending case before it is even presented or argued, the integrity of the judicial system is called into question. This goes way beyond the issue of same-sex marriage and cuts to the heart of whether our federal judiciary can be trusted to fairly consider and adjudicate important issues. Ginsburg comments suggest they cannot."

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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, [email protected], or Matille Thebolt, [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).

Remember, every dollar you donate will be matched, doubling the impact of your gift in the fight to defend marriage!

I've been incredibly gratified to see the number of new $10 and $15 donors that have stepped up in the fight to defend marriage . . . people who have never before given to NOM, but who realize the incredible importance and urgency of the fight right now.

These people are sacrificially giving to a cause they understand is necessary, noble and just . . . because they understand that marriage is and always will be the foundation of civilization and worth fighting for!

I also know that there are some people reading this message that could make a much, much larger gift. If it's within your ability to do so, won't you please stand up right now and make your most generous donation in support of the March?

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in less than three months in a case that could radically alter — for better or for worse — the course of marriage in America.

We have less than 3 months to take our best shot and make our best case for marriage before the Court rules.

Please do not sit on the sidelines while a struggle of historic significance takes place in front of you.

Faithfully,

Brian S. BrownPresidentNational Organization for Marriage

PS We've raised over $10,000 in just 4 days toward our $100,000 matching gift challenge — which is amazing — but we have so much further to go. Won't you please join us by making a generous gift right away?

Most people reading this email haven't yet donated. I am asking you, if you haven't yet donated to this campaign, to do so now — renewing your commitment to defending marriage by making a contribution in support of the 2015 March for Marriage.

And many of you reading this email have contributed. Thank you so much for your generosity! But, if you have the means, would you consider another gift to help us reach our ambitious goal?

Thank you all in advance for standing with NOM in defense of marriage!

On July 28, 1868, Secretary of State William Seward issued a proclamation that, with the requisite number of states having ratified it, the 14th Amendment was adopted into the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment, in Section 1, established what is known as "equal protection" — that all citizens of the United States are entitled to equal protection under the law and the same "privileges or immunities."

On June 6, 2006, the citizens of the State of Alabama went to the polls and voted to adopt a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The measure, called the "Sanctity of Marriage Amendment," passed with 81% of the vote. The issue won in every single county of the State.

On January 23, 2015, U.S. District Judge Callie Granade ruled that the "Sanctity of Marriage Amendment" in Alabama is an unconstitutional violation of equal protection. She stayed her ruling until February 9th.

On February 9, 2015, the State of Alabama fought back.

It is important to remember our history. It is important to remember, for example, as I noted above, that the power of amending the U.S. Constitution depends upon ratification by the States . . . that, under our federalist system, the States retain all kinds of powers not explicitly claimed by the Constitution for the federal government.

It's important to remember that, in the Windsor decision of 2013, Justice Kennedy's rationale for striking down section 3 of DOMA was based on the fact that states have sovereignty to regulate marriage and shouldn't be dictated to in this matter by the federal government.

It's important to remember that, in 1868, when the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution passed it did not suddenly render same-sex 'marriages' legal. That no one had any notion of that meaning being even implicit, much less explicit, in the amendment. That the very thought wouldn't even have occurred to anyone responsible for framing that amendment.

It's important to remember that in 1972, the Supreme Court was asked to consider whether same-sex marriage was guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, in Baker v Nelson, and they unanimously dismissed the case for lack of a substantial federal question. It is absurd to claim that the 14th Amendment made man-woman marriage unconstitutional and that nobody — including a former bench of the Supreme Court — noticed until now! And yet this absurdity is exactly what federal judges all over the country want us to believe.

Well, do you believe that?

I certainly don't. Neither does Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama. He's urging the State to stand by its definition of marriage and to refuse to bend to the whim of a single Federal judge pushing an absurd reading of the 14th amendment.

The events of the past couple of weeks make everything crystal clear: the words of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in his dissent in the Windsor case, were as true as could be. He wrote: "I promise you this: The only thing that will 'confine' the Court's holding is its sense of what it can get away with."

And we have seen courts since that decision, all over the country, pushing the envelope and getting away with it. We've seen federal justices like the one in Alabama trampling over the will of voters, and getting away with it. We've seen the Supreme Court letting them get away with it.

So we need to ask ourselves: what are we prepared to let the Supreme Court get away with?

That's the rationale behind the National Organization for Marriage's organization and execution of the March for Marriage this coming April. We must show the court that there is a powerful dissent among the citizenry, holding fast to the true definition of marriage, which will never accept a redefinition of our most sacred institution.

Of course, organizing the March for Marriage is a broad undertaking requiring tremendous resources.

Won't you please chip in what you can to make the March a success?

Some of you can make a smaller donation . . . some of you can make a larger one . . . but we need for every marriage supporter to take a stand and make a financial investment in the defense of marriage.

There is no better time to donate as a generous donor has stepped up with a matching gift challenge. That means every dollar you donate will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact your contribution makes in the fight to defend marriage at exactly the time when its defense is most pressing!

Now is the time to fight back. Please help us make the 2015 March for Marriage — taking place on April 25th, right around the oral arguments in the Supreme Court case — our most successful yet.

Help us let the Supreme Court know that the American people are the ultimate governing power in our great Republic . . . and that the American people believe in marriage!

For the first time, six major organizations working on civil rights issues came together to support what they called the "March on Washington" to demand the passage of pivotal civil rights legislation.

Many were opposed to it, including some prominent civil rights leaders, one of whom derisively labeled the effort the "farce on Washington." President Kennedy advised against it, telling them the march could backfire, setting back the cause of civil rights. But undeterred, these brave leaders ignored the naysayers, banded together and encouraged their followers to come to Washington to peacefully demonstrate in support of civil rights for all Americans.

And come they did, from throughout the nation, an estimated 250,000 of them. There were a number of speakers that day, including several prominent leaders from the Catholic and Protestant faith communities.

It was on this historic day in 1963 that a young black preacher representing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference grabbed the assembled masses with his clear and soaring oratory, capturing not only the moment, but the essence of the cause:

"I have a dream," Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. I have a dream..."

It was, indeed, on that remarkable day when one of the most impactful speeches in the history of our nation was delivered despite warnings, pleadings and admonitions not to speak, not to march.

My friends, it's 1963 in the fight for marriage. And it is time we march.

I can't promise you that we will have a historic speech like Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech, nor can I promise you 250,000 people will come to Washington, but I can promise you this: we will march for a true and just cause, for the civil right of Americans to enjoy the benefits of natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman, the foundation of society and the cradle of civilization.

And I can also promise that this year's march could be as important to the cause of marriage as the 1963 March on Washington was to the cause of civil rights.

Please help us make this critically important march a success by giving a donation right now.

Remember, right now, thanks to a generous donor, we have a matching gift challenge . . . so every dollar you give will be matched, doubling the impact of your gift!

It's funny how advocates of redefining marriage have tried to steal the mantle of the civil rights movement to pursue their dangerous and damaging agenda.

We're proud of the African American leaders like Rev. Bill Owens who have decried any attempt to equate gay ‘marriage' with civil rights. Indeed, it is us who support traditional marriage who are fighting for the civil rights of children to have a mother and a father who are married.

We urgently need your help to make the 2015 March for Marriage a success. You see, this is our last, best chance to demonstrate to the justices of the United States Supreme Court that the American people are opposed to redefining marriage and will not sit idly by while the elite and unaccountable judges rip marriage from the social foundations of society.

The March for Marriage is set for Saturday, April 25th which is within days of when the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral argument on the cases before them that will decide the legal status of marriage.

This case could prove to be the Roe of marriage, or it could be a great win for us. We are fighting hard, and we urgently need your help to be successful.

The March for Marriage could be as important to the cause of marriage as the March on Washington was for the civil rights movement. There are definite similarities.

Some in our movement are naysayers, claiming nothing we do will make a difference. Others say that we won't raise the money from you and others to mount a successful march. Still others say that people won't take time out of their busy schedules to march even though they agree with us.

We respect all people in the movement to preserve marriage, but we are moving forward boldly, in faith, trusting that you and other supporters of marriage will be there at this critical time. Now is not the time to be timid or dissuaded by the doubters; now is the time to stand and be counted, and to march!

Marriage Supporter, we need your support with an immediate financial contribution. The costs of mounting this kind of event are significant — over $500,000 for things like renting buses, security, staging, sound equipment, communications, signage, sponsorships, etc. Dozens of people are involved in staffing such an event.

Please make a generous gift today so that we can mobilize thousands of people to come to DC on April 25th to march for marriage, our most important social institution, the bedrock of society and the foundation of family formation.

We also ask you to make plans to come to DC to join us on April 25th. Perhaps you can organize a busload of people from church to join you. And if you are too far from DC to attend, we will have a great addition to this year's march — a virtual march where you can show your support and have your presence counted. We'll have more info on that in the next few days and weeks.

Thank you for your consideration. We need your help today. It's my dream that you will stand with us at this critical hour, and that with God's help we will make a difference and help preserve marriage for our nation, and for future generations.

Sincerely,

Brian S. BrownPresidentNational Organization for Marriage

PS — I need to hear from you right away to know that I can count on your support. This is our moment when we can capture the attention of the nation, and the Supreme Court, to show them that the American people want marriage preserved and protected. The moment is here...we must act while we still can.